By The Star Staff Writer
Ilhan Omar, who lived in a refugee camp in East Africa before emigrating to the United States, now looks all but certain to make another history and become the first Somali-American congresswoman after trouncing four candidates to win Democratic Party’s primary in a Minneapolis-area district that overwhelmingly votes for democrats.
Ilhan, 36, became the first Somali-American to win a state legislative seat in 2016, defeating incumbent Rep. Phyllis Kahn who held the seat for 44 years.
“Tonight we are celebrating because we engaged and empowered our community and we won!” Omar said in a statement. “Our campaign staff, our volunteers, and the people of the Fifth Congressional District are the inspiration we need to get up every day and fight for a democracy that guarantees a more just and equitable society.”
Ilhan is vying for the seat vacated by Rep. Keith Ellison, who ran and won Democratic Party’s primary for state attorney general. The six-term congressman was the first Muslim elected to Congress.
Ilhan campaigned against President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration policies, invoking her background as a Somali and Muslim who fled her country when she was eight-years-old and lived several years in a refugee camp in Kenya before emigrating to the United States. Somalis — along with citizens of five Muslim-majority countries — are banned from entering the United States. Others are Iran, Yemen, Syria and Libya.
Ilhan, who was endorsed by Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, is a shoo-in to win the congressional seat in November, as the fifth district, which includes Minneapolis and a number of its suburbs, votes traditionally for democrats.
Ilhan’s campaign was focused on healthcare for all U.S. residents, raising the national minimum wage to $15, funding universal prekindergarten programs nationwide, guaranteeing tuition-free and debt-free two-and four-year public colleges and universities, funding millions of homes in the coming decade and abolishing ICE and ending all inhumane deportation and detention programs.
“Ilhan will bring a unique perspective and new energy to our nation’s capital,” said her campaign, noting that since early June, when Ilhan announced her candidature, her team reached out to more than 100,000 voters in every neighborhood of the Fifth Congressional District.
Ilhan defeated Margaret Anderson Kelliher, former house speaker; Patricia Torres Ray, who was a Minnesota Senator for 12 years; Electrical Engineer Jamal Abdulahi, a Somali American; Frank Drake, who in 2016 ran against Rep. Ellison as a Republican.
Other Somalis have also scored big in Tuesday’s primaries in the state, where the largest number of Somali-Americans live.
Hodan Hassan won the Democratic Party’s primary in Minneapolis-area’s district 62A, moving her one step closer to another first for Somali-Americans. Hodan will become the second Somali woman — after Ilhan — to win a state legislature seat. She campaigned on affordable housing, racial justice and strong public education, among other issues.
Mohamud Noor is also poised to replace Ilhan after emerging victorious in the party’s primary. If Noor wins in November, he will be the first Somali male lawmaker in the state.
After spending four years in the hardscrabble Dadaab refugee camp in eastern Kenya, Ilhan came to the US at the age of 14 and quickly learned the English language by listening to TV shows. Ilhan is married and has three children.
“She will fight for working families so they are paid a living wage and have access to affordable housing and healthcare; for students to make college more affordable and debt forgiveness for those struggling to repay education loans; for immigrants and refugees to stop family separations, abolish ICE, and protect DACA,” she said in a statement, referring to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement body and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy respectively. DACA gives children, who came to the US illegally, a reprieve from deportation and permission to work legally. ICE is a body that enforces federal laws governing border control, customs, trade and immigration to promote homeland security and public safety.
If Ilhan wins in November, she will join Michigan congressional candidate Rashida Tlaib, who is running unopposed. Rashida is a Palestinian-American.
“The positive response we received on the phone and at the doors was so inspiring,” said Ilhan’s Campaign Manager Joelle Stangler. “People want to see Ilhan in Congress because she is the bold.progressive voice we need. She has the hope and resolve to win the tough fights we face.”
Ilhan is a graduate of North Dakota State University with a degree in political science. When NDSU’s magazine asked her last year why did she choose her major, she replied: “Those are two areas that are of interest to me, given my background and upbringing. From a young age, I knew that I wanted to be engaged in my local political processes and be an informed global citizen.“
Ilhan said that she fell in love with politics at the age of 14, acting as her grandfather’s interpreter, “so he could participate in our local Democratic-Farmer-Labor caucus.”
“Watching neighbors come together to advocate for change at the grassroots level inspired me to get involved in the democratic process,” she said.